If you have have “The Chair” at home (you know, the one where you pile your clothes, accessories, and every other knick-knacks on), you’re going to need these tips. Di you know that research has shown that making small changes to your living area can help improve your mood? Here are tips to help you organise your belongings (and life), pronto.
1. Pretty bowls and plates
Any bowl with a pretty design looks 1000x more aesthetic, and helps organise your belongings. You can use it to put any trinkets you have too: an adorable cat bowl containing all my collection of brooches, an understated plate near your door to drop your house and car keys! For the plate of your dreams, IKEA would be a great option as they have a huge variety. We have our eyes on a beautiful plate that can be bought on Lazada (and you can find more gorgeous ones there!)
2. Buy wooden pin-up boards
You’ve seen it on Pinterest perhaps, and drooled over the designs. Well, why not make your own? Daiso sells the boards and its pins for S$2 (of course) each. You don’t need much flair for decoration to make your board gorgeous too – just use things that are close to your heart (such as photos or plane tickets of memorable trips you’ve been to) and you’re set, really.
3. Do not be a hoarder
Grit your teeth and throw out all the things you know you will not use again; we promise you this will go a long way to a well-organised room. If you have some things that are really of a sentimental value, keep these in a pretty bowl (refer to #1!) and display them proudly as part of your room decoration.
4. Organise your wardrobe by clothing type
You could sort them by dresses, blouses, shirts, pants, and so on. Or you could organise them based on your frequency of wear. Those that you regularly reach out for should be placed at a more convenient-to-reach spot, while those that are saved for special occasions can be stashed at a less convenient spot. Of course, while you’re organising your wardrobe, don’t forget Tip #3: throw away everything that you haven’t worn in a year.
Take note: We know that there are people who find it aesthetically-pleasing to sort clothing by colours. However, this would only work if you have very few pieces of apparel. When you sort by colour, you typically can’t keep up with it for a long time.
5. Repurpose a laundry bag
Sure, a laundry basket is great for holding your dirty clothing before you wash them. But they can also be repurposed as a bag holder. Use them to hold wristlets, pouches and canvas bags that you only use occasionally.
6. Organise cables with this hack
Source: Urbane JaneIf unsightly charging cables get on your nerves, refer to this nifty trick and repurpose a tissue box to organise them! Now you also get to boast about saving the earth one tissue box at a time.
7. Double stack books in bookcases
We proudly declare this a pro tip. If you’re an avid reader, you probably have too many books to fit comfortably into one bookshelf. To circumvent (look ma, big word!) this, simply have two rows of books within each shelf! Shelf the books you will probably won’t read again soon at the back, and the ones you’re intending to read soon at the front. It’s like having two bookshelves!
8. Organise important documents in folders
Clear folders or files are your best friends. Organise your important documents and label the folders accordingly. Some of the groups you may want to sort them by: Educational certs, medical records, car-related documents, house-related documents, insurance policies – you get the drift. Once you’re done with filing and labelling, keep them in a safe place (a drawer or clean spot on the bookshelf will do).
Now, when you need to do any application that require these documents, you’ll know exactly where to look for them and they’re already sorted out neatly. It’s going to save you a lot of time!
Here is a bonus challenge if you’re feeling extra productive: Make extra copies of all these documents and store them in the same file as the originals. The next time you need to make any important application, it will be a walk in the park for you.
9. Clean regularly and whenever you see mess
Spring cleaning is always a pain. But you know what’s going to make it easier? If you have been consistently cleaning up. You can pick a day in the week to do some cleaning – it won’t be too exhausting unless you own a very big space. And always clean up immediately when you spot any mess. This way, you’ll find it much easier to start on that annual or bi-annual spring-cleaning the next time.
10. Use clear containers for leftovers
It appears our mothers had it all sorted out. Tupperware is the best for containing half-open packets of any food, from Doritos to a stash of rolled oats. Best of all, it is sealed tightly so that means food odour cannot mix with one another to form a funky union.